Yellowstone Stand Off

This is the story of a Grizzly bear and her three cubs, 3 coyotes, a limping but otherwise healthy wolf and an assortment of birds on a sunny day in the Hayden Valley of Yellowstone. Be sure to view the pictures on pages 3-4 as well, or you'll miss the confrontation between the wolf and the coyotes.

We heard that sometime between 8 and 10 in the morning a pack of wolves took down an Elk in a stream in the Hayden Valley. Later a Grizzly and three cubs arrived and started feeding on the Elk. Apparently the Grizzly had driven the wolves away. An English couple told us about these events and we rushed to the scene, arriving about 2 pm. There were about 100 people watching, including several park rangers keeping the crowd at a safe distance about 250 to 300 yards away. When we arrived two coyotes were feeding on the Elk while the Grizzly sow, with three cubs tucked beneath her, stared from the grass about 100 yards beyond. Eventually the the coyotes had their fill and retreated to the grassland, yielding the Elk feed to an assortment of ravens, vultures and other birds.

Eventually, the Grizzly decided she had rested enough and it was time to reclaim the Elk. She gathered her cubs, strolled through the meadow and into the stream and invited her cubs to feed on remains of the Elk. The following is the story of the events that transpired over the next 6 hours, culminating in an unusual confrontation between coyotes and a wolf.